The 8 Worst Foods to Eat for Inflammation

Inflammation is a hot topic—and for good reason. A 2024 study in JAMA Network Open links cardiometabolic diseases—like heart disease and diabetes—with dementia-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. The connecting link? Chronic inflammation.

And a 2023 article in Frontiers in Immunology links inflammation to autoimmune diseases, while a 2024 Frontiers in Immunology study links inflammation to cancer.

Regarding how to knock down inflammation in the body, most advice seems to focus on the top anti-inflammatory foods to eat. However, increasing these foods is only one part of the equation. When it comes to reducing chronic inflammation, it's just as important to reduce food components that may trigger and aggravate existing inflammation.

Here are some top foods that cause inflammation—and how to limit them.

Added Sugars

Americans' consumption of excess added sugars is considered a major contributor to inflammation, which in turn increases one's potential for chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And it's become invasive. Added sugar can be snuck into foods you might not expect—like salad dressings, condiments and savory snack foods. What's even sneakier is that sugar can be listed under numerous names—like dextran, high-fructose corn syrup and maltose, to name a few.

It's important to note that added sugars are different from sugars naturally found in whole foods, like fruits and dairy, which also contain vital nutrients for overall good health and tend to be anti-inflammatory.

How to Limit: The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day for women and no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) for men. Tracking this can be easy since the Food and Drug Administration requires all food labels to include added sugars.

Processed Meats

Most processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni and lunch meats are cured with salt and synthetic nitrates. These meats are also often high in saturated fat. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Nutrition linked regular intake of processed meats to an increased risk of inflammation, which many speculate may be due to the nitrates and saturated fats.

How to Limit: The science isn't clear about exactly what the primary threat in processed meat stems from—nitrates, saturated fat or processed meats as a whole—so the best advice is to limit your overall consumption. When you do eat processed meats, opt for "uncured" meats, which should mean that they were treated with only salt rather than cured with nitrates. Nitrate-free meats may use ingredients like celery juice, which is a natural source of nitrates. However, it's yet to be determined if these are better for you than meats processed with synthetic nitrates.

Highly Processed Foods

Consumers want quick, convenient food options, and manufacturers have responded by offering more ready-to-eat meals and grab-and-go foods than ever. But this convenience comes at a price since chemicals and compounds not naturally found in food, like artificial colors, flavorings and preservatives, are often added to make these products shelf-stable or to improve taste and appearance. Any of these can irritate the body, triggering inflammation. And if it already has some existing inflammation, the body may be hypersensitive to these foreign particles, which can increase inflammation and exacerbate issues.

How to Limit: Healthy can still mean quick if you select minimally processed convenience products. To do this, make the ingredient list the first thing you look at. Typically, the shorter the list, the better. Then, see if you recognize the ingredients. A trick to use when looking at the ingredients list is to ask, "If I were making this at home from a recipe, would most of these ingredients be in it?" If not, keep looking.

Refined Carbs

Eating white pasta, rice, bread and other carb-rich foods that are primarily composed of refined flour or grains elicits a quicker and often greater effect on blood sugar. And just as quickly as the blood sugar rises, it can crash, leaving you feeling lethargic and anxious—and can be dangerous if you have diabetes.

But there's more to it. For example, a 2024 study in Nutrients suggests that individuals with a higher intake of refined carbs and low fiber were at higher risk of inflammation-related heart disease compared to those with a higher intake of fiber-rich carbohydrates.

And a 2022 review in Nutrients found that low-fiber diets may throw off the balance of beneficial and bad bacteria in our guts, which can increase inflammation and influence numerous conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, allergies, asthma, and mood disorders, including depression and anxiety.

How to Limit: Choose whole grains and 100% whole-grain products whenever possible, and don't forget that grains aren't the only place to get complex carbs. You can get them from beans, peas, sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables that are also high in fiber and nutrients.

Too Many Omega-6s (and Not Enough Omega-3s)

Mono- and polyunsaturated fats are what most of us know as the "healthy" fats. These fats are made up of different proportions of fatty acids—two key ones are omega-6s and omega-3s.

A 2021 study published in the Journal of Lipids suggests that most Americans are overconsuming omega-6 fatty acids, largely due to the heavy use of vegetable oils like corn, soybean and sunflower in ultra-processed and convenience foods. And it seems that we are underconsuming omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory powerhouses. The overall effect is an imbalance that may contribute to low-grade systemic inflammation.

How to Limit: Limit ultra-processed foods that likely contain omega-6 fats, which can put you over the recommended amount. Instead, choose more whole foods and make a point to get in good sources of omega-3s each week by eating fatty fish like salmon, canned tuna or mackerel, as well as walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds.

Also, start looking at the oils you cook with or consume. Oils contain a mix of fatty acids (as opposed to just one type of fatty acid), so the secret is choosing ones that have a higher proportion of omega-3s more often. This includes extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, flax oil, peanut oil, corn oil and canola oil.

Trans Fats

Trans fats are created by chemically altering the structure of unsaturated fats to give processed foods a longer shelf life. But a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Immunology suggests that trans fats are even more harmful to the body than the saturated fats found in red meat, cheese and butter. This is largely due to the inflammatory reaction they create in the body that's linked to chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

How to Limit: Steer clear of trans fats by avoiding foods that have "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils listed in the ingredient list. The FDA banned the addition of hydrogenated oils to packaged foods in 2018 so you shouldn't find them in packaged foods anymore, but trans fats are also found naturally in some cooking oils used to make fried foods and fast foods. Aim to choose those foods less often.

More Than Two Cocktails

According to a 2021 review published in Molecules, a glass of wine contains compounds that can fend off inflammation and oxidative stress, which can help prevent cardiovascular diseases. One of these compounds, resveratrol, is a polyphenol in red wine (and grapes) that's credited with the anti-inflammatory effects.

It's important to note, however, that more is not better—and can be harmful. When you ingest too much alcohol, not only are the anti-inflammatory perks lost, but 2022 research published in the International Review of Neurobiology shows that alcohol then triggers further inflammation in the body.

How to Limit: The key to drinking to reap potential health benefits is moderate consumption. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends no more than one standard drink per day for women and no more than two standard drinks per day for men. The size of a "standard drink" varies, depending on the type of alcohol, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Also, be aware of the calories in the cocktail you choose. Minimize calories and added sugars from alcohol by choosing a glass of wine, a light beer or a serving of liquor mixed with a low- or no-calorie mixer.

Artificial Sweeteners

Though artificial sweeteners are deemed relatively safe by the FDA, most of the ones you see on restaurant tables and in food products are sweet-tasting synthetic chemical compounds like aspartame and saccharine. And if you already have some low-level inflammation, the body may consider these foreign bodies or irritants.

How to Limit: Minimize the use of artificial sweeteners in general, and when you do need to use one, opt for a plant-based sweetener like stevia or allulose. The research surrounding stevia is primarily positive, with a 2022 review in Food Science & Nutrition suggesting that stevia may have antihyperglycemic effects—meaning, it doesn't appear to raise blood sugar.

And a small 2023 study in Nutrients suggests that allulose is safe and does not increase blood glucose or C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation in the body.

Another option is to use regular sugar or another sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup, but less of it than you normally would.

The Bottom Line

Chronic inflammation is linked with many diseases and health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, autoimmune diseases, depression, anxiety and Alzheimer's disease. This is why it's imperative to try to reduce the level of inflammation in your body. This can be done by including anti-inflammatory foods and limiting or avoiding foods that tend to cause or increase inflammation.